While it is normal to have certain food preferences, picky eating can become a problem when you will only eat such a short list of food that it is hard to get the nutrients you need or you feel singled-out, shamed, and criticized for your food selection.

Perhaps you are a picky eater because you were pressured to eat a certain way growing up, or did not have enough exposure to unfamiliar food as a child. Maybe you are especially sensitive to taste and texture. As an adult, you can learn to eat a greater variety of food by giving yourself lots of opportunities and removing any pressure around eating.

As an adult, you can learn to enjoy new foods by following these steps:

1. Address your attitudes about eating. Give yourself permission to eat what you want and feel good about it. Pushing yourself to eat something before you are ready can contribute to unpleasant feelings toward food and eating. If others are pressuring you to eat something, be matter-of-fact and unapologetic about saying “yes, please,” and “no, thank you.”
2. Develop positive mealtime behavior. Eat the foods that appeal to you, and politely but firmly decline the ones that do not. It’s okay to leave unwanted food on your plate or take more of one food before you have finished another.
3. Avoid negative mealtime behavior. Drawing attention to what you eat or don’t eat, requesting food that isn’t on the menu, wasting a lot of food, or expecting others to cater to your food preferences can make mealtime unpleasant for you and your companions.
4. After you learn to say no, learn to say yes. Gradually experiment by pairing new or unfamiliar foods with foods you do like. Provide yourself with regular, repeated, and unpressured opportunities to explore new foods. No need to force yourself to eat something you don’t want to eat. It may take multiple neutral exposures before you feel ready to try a new food.

Think of trying new foods just as you would learning anything new: Look at it, prepare it, watch others eat it, and test it (try putting it in your mouth and taking it out again. Don’t swallow the new food until you’re ready). In time, you might be surprised by how much you come to enjoy something new!

Yes, you can learn to enjoy fruits and vegetables, too!

Fruits and vegetables can be challenging. They have a variety of textures and flavors, some of them strong, sharp, or biting. You or your child might be a supertaster (someone who is sensitive to strong flavors).

To learn to enjoy fruits and vegetables, follow the guidelines above, taking your time, providing yourself plenty of opportunities to try, and avoiding pressure to eat them. Take your time and be persistent.

To tone down strong vegetable flavors, try adding salt, fat, sauces, bread crumbs, herbs, or spices. For fruit, try making sauces or desserts. Using canned fruits or vegetables can help tone down textures.